General information
The aim of the immission control authority is to protect people and the environment from harmful emissions such as exhaust fumes, odors and noise.
The immission control authority is responsible for facilities from a wide variety of sectors:
- chemical plants
- metal processing companies
- Companies in the "construction, stone and earth" sector
- Waste disposal and recycling companies
- Leather and textile companies
- Woodworking and wood processing companies
- Wind energy plants
- Combined heat and power plants
- biogas plants
- and much more.
Permits with environmental protection requirements are issued, orders are issued to clean up defective plants and fines are imposed on environmental offenders. The immission control authority is supported in technical matters by the trade supervisory department.
Another task is the processing of environmental complaints, such as smoke, odor and noise complaints. Complaints about construction sites and private air/heat pumps/air conditioning units and refrigeration systems are an exception. These are dealt with by the Trade Supervisory Department.
Other responsibilities may vary depending on the type of complaint.
Complaints relating to human behavior, especially in the area of leisure activities (e.g. barbecues), are usually dealt with under private law. Local regulations may also apply, e.g. municipal police ordinances or other regulatory provisions.
